5 Awesome Shipping Container Retreats

While shipping containers make excellent building blocks for permanent homes, they also make for great, inexpensive retreats. Below you will find a list of shipping container retreats across the globe, some of which you can even rent out to experience shipping container living on your own. The latter is a great idea, if you’re considering building your home using a shipping container, just to see if living inside one is something you would even like.

1. Casa Cúbica Shipping Container Home

The Costa Rican firm Cubica designs and specializes in converting shipping containers into small, functional vacation homes and retreats. Their basic model is built from a 8.5-by-20 foot shipping container, with a great interior layout. The interior space is subdivided into three areas all of which can also be used for sleeping. The main living area contains a full-sized Murphy bed, while there are also twin bunks located at one end of the shipping container. There is also a spacious bathroom, which can be accessed from both inside and outside. These houses area available for rent through the Casa Metta hotel in Costa Rica, which offers a great opportunity to try out shipping container living.

2. Nomad Living Guesthouse

This small and gorgeous guesthouse was built using a 40-foot shipping container and features 320-square-feet of living space. It was built by the Portugal-based Studio ArTe and is located in eh picturesque Algarve region of Portugal. Not much has been done to alter the basic shipping container form, and the interior space is made up of a living room, dining room, and bedroom. Only the bathroom is separated off from the rest of the interior space for privacy. The guesthouse also features a large wooden deck, which extends the total area of the home. This home doesn’t have a kitchen, which is a bit of an oversight perhaps, though the occupants are welcome to use an outdoor kitchen located just a few feet away.

3. Cove Park Artist’s Retreat

The Cove Park artist’s retreat is located on the west coast of Scotland and was built out of recycled shipping containers. The retreat feature 3 units made from shipping containers, each of which was built using 2 shipping containers. The structure also features a green roof, which provides insulation. Inside, the units feature a large living area with a sofa, that doubles as the bedroom, and comfortable workspace. The units also have ensuite bathrooms.

4. Shipping Container Home in Spain

If you’re planning a vacation in Majorca, Spain, you can test out shipping container living by renting a room in this unique shipping container home. It is located near the center of Palma de Majorca. The owners are renting it out through Airbnb and it costs about $111 per night. The home has one-bedroom, one-bathroom, a kitchen, a Japanese garden, washer/dryer, an outdoor deck, and a pool.

5. Campo Cinco in Texas

The Campo Cinco retreat is located a little closer to home, namely in Texas. This simple, low-tech retreat was created by Mark T. Wellen of Rhotenberry Wellen Architects and it is made of five repurposed shipping containers that were placed on hand-dug piers and converted into cozy living spaces. One of the five units is used for storage, another contains the kitchen, while the remaining three each contain a bed and bathroom. Each unit is accessible via sliding glass doors, which offer great views of the surrounding countryside, while keeping the occupants safely inside. Since this property is locate in the middle of nowhere, it offers a relaxing getaway and a perfect way to check out shipping container living all in one package.